Riding into the sunset
by DeadlyFandoms
Summary: It's the early days of their engagement and Georg discovers that his fiancée is an avid horse rider...and that she also misses it terribly. He proposes that they go riding the following morning and Maria is simply ecstatic, but, as always, they'll end up getting more than they bargained for. / Just a sweet, romantic and slightly steamy story about Maria and Georg.
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: I know that this seems like a new multi-chapter story, and whilst it technically is...it also isn't. You see, I'm taking a bit of inspiration from** **Bellarsam Chrisjulittle (one of my favourite TSOM authors!) because many of their stories, "Body and soul", "Fulfilled" and "Beginners" (to name a few) are made up of short chapters where each one continues immediately after the last. I quite like that structure and think that it would work well for this story...plus, it helps to cure the writers block.**

 **If you like the structure, then great, if you don't then allow me to apologise in advance :P**

 **So, chapter two has already been written, and I'm going to try and post a new chapter every couple of days! :)**

 **This story is also dedicated to my love of horse riding and all the other equine nuts out there. Horse riding has been my life for so long, and whilst it has given me many painful (and permanent) injuries, I simply couldn't imagine my life without it!**

 **Anyway, I'll be quite now! :P**

* * *

 **Riding into the sunset**

 **Chapter one **

Georg had only been engaged to his fiancée for a just over three weeks, and yet, she seemed to find a new way to surprise him every day. Sometimes they were simple, innocent discoveries that opened his eyes to yet another delightful layer of her personality – like how she always took her tea with an absurdly large amount of sugar or her shameless love of schnitzel with noodles. Other times, the discoveries were far more intimate, ones that Georg would never admit to anyone other than Maria…and even then, he'd only ever do so in their most private moments. After all, he couldn't exactly take his fiancée somewhere where they'd be surrounded by polite company and then tell her _just_ how soft her lips were, and that one kiss could bring him to his quivering knees; or how her skin was so soft that he often found himself in a daze, wondering how every inch of her body would taste…

However, one particular discovery had surprised him rather significantly. It had been a weekday – he couldn't remember which day exactly – and the weather had been particularly nice, so, instead of swimming in the lake (as he was wont to do), Georg had instead decided to go for a morning ride – since it had been far too long since he'd exercised his horses himself. As expected, the ride had been glorious; and to add to the splendour of the day, when he'd returned to the villa, he'd met his fiancée at the top of the stairs. Upon seeing her, an almost stupid, school boyish grin spread across his face and he was amazed at how giddy he could become from simply looking at her; however, he avoided touching her since he was still clad in his riding clothes.

"Hello, sweetheart," he greeted lovingly – his smile never leaving him, "what have you been –"

But his words were cut short when Maria – quite suddenly – threw herself towards him and wrapped her arms around his middle, and whilst Georg was completely taken aback by her actions, his limbs seemed to take on a mind of their own, for his arms still ended up embracing her and holding her close to him. He waited patiently for her to give him an explanation, but none came, and she instead stayed silent whilst burying her face into his chest and…did she inhale sharply? Gently, and not wanting to force her out of whatever state she was currently in, Georg brought a hand up to caress the hair on the back of her neck, and the intimacy of the action caused her to pull away and look up at him – her eyes becoming heavy with a longing that he'd only discovered after their engagement…and after they'd begun to explore their closeness. After a few long, heady seconds, Maria pulled away and immediately tried to hide her face as her cheeks became flushed with a brilliant shade of red.

"Sorry, I – uh – I just really love the smell of horses" she admitted timidly.

Georg had not been expecting that, and for a moment he thought he might laugh, for in the few moments that she had clung to him, he had managed to convince himself that something was wrong with her or that she had been upset by something; but it seemed as though she just wanted to…smell him? He grinned again.

"That's quite alright, Maria…it just wasn't the sort of reaction I was expecting, that's all"

"Believe me, I don't usually go throwing myself at the nearest stable boy"

"I should hope not" he chuckled.

"It's just been far too long since I've been riding and I really grew to love the smell of horses…" she stopped to ponder for just a second, "…I don't think it's something that people who don't ride can understand – you spend time with horses so I'm sure you can empathise – but once you've been around them long enough, all of the smells that most people would find revolting just become like perfume" she rambled adoringly.

Normally, Georg would've admired her whilst she talked excitedly about one of her passions – it was another one of her traits that he just loved – but there was something he couldn't get off his mind…

"Wait a minute –" he interrupted softly, "—you know how to ride?"

"Oh…" she was blushing again, "…yes, sorry, I thought you knew"

"No, I don't think you ever told me"

"Oh, it must have been one of the children then" she admitted.

"When did you learn how to ride?" he asked – thoroughly intrigued. He also let his arms wrap around her waist again.

"Well, when I – uh – lived with my uncle…" she began – almost reluctantly, and on some protective instinct, Georg tightened his hold of her "…he had a couple of horses, and one of my chores was to exercise them"

"So, he took the time to teach you?"

"Not exactly. He rather begrudgingly took me out once to teach me the basics so that I wouldn't mess it up every time, but I don't think he spent more than half an hour with me…but I rode the horses so often that I think I became quite good…and I just loved it so much – not that I'd ever admit that to my uncle, of course"

"How come you never mentioned it before? I would've taken you for a ride if I'd known how much you missed it"

"Like I said, I thought you knew" she shrugged shyly.

"Well, I definitely know now, and I propose that you and I go riding tomorrow morning"

He watched as her eyes instantly began to sparkle and her whole face lit up, it was a sight that sent a powerful warmth straight to his heart; god he loved her so much and would go to the very ends of the earth just to make her happy and have a chance to see that smile of hers. She was absolutely radiant when she was in mirth.

"Really?" she asked excitedly.

"Really" he confirmed, smiling down at her with so much affection in his eyes.

"Oh, thank you, Georg!" she exclaimed before hugging him tightly – causing him to chuckle.

"I must warn you, though, I ride before breakfast"

"I'd go without sleep for days if it meant I could ride again…besides, I think the children have turned me into an earlier riser"

"Maria, from now on you can ride whenever you want to, you're not the governess anymore – what's mine is yours" he said tenderly – bringing a hand up to caress her cheek.

"Oh, Georg…you don't know how happy this makes me"

"You've given me a pretty good idea" he teased lightly.

"Thank you so much" she said rather seriously.

He was about to respond, but much like before, the words could not leave his lips due to another impulsive action from his fiancée, only this time, it was a kiss that silenced him. As soon as he felt her soft, tender rosebud lips press against his own, he completely forgot about the unborn sentence that had hung on the end of his tongue; in fact, he'd forgotten that the rest of the world even existed, for all he could focus on was the sensation of Maria kissing his so delectably. It had started of slow, of course, as it always did, but when he slowly began to invite her to deepen the kiss, he discovered that it wouldn't take much effort on his part, for within seconds, she was responding to him eagerly.

He didn't miss the soft moan that escaped her throat as he pulled her body flush against his, and when she moved one of her hands to rake through his hair, he was quite sure that he'd forgotten his own name. Perhaps he'd buy her a horse as her engagement present if this was how strongly she felt about them…actually, he _could_ buy her one if he wanted to. The need to breathe was what brought their kiss to its natural end, and for a while afterwards neither of them said anything, instead they just gazed lovingly at each other and savoured the afterglow or such a glorious kiss. Again, he discovered that her eyes had become hooded with her own desires…desires that he knew he was reciprocating through his own gaze. Georg nuzzled the tip of his nose against hers when he finally did speak…

"I need to get changed," he stated, "I'll see you at breakfast"

Reluctantly, they stepped out of their embrace.

"Don't be too long, Captain" she smirked, and she even gave him a wink before descending the stairs and all Georg could do was stand there – his mouth hanging open ever so slightly as he shamelessly gawped at her.

Would she ever stop surprising him?

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES: There you go, short and sweet, like I promised. Please let me know if you like the structure of short chapters or not so I know whether or not I should use it for future stories.**

 **Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter, and chapter two will be up in a couple of days so please let me know what you thought!**

 **And, don't worry, my other Mary Poppins and Sound of Music stories will be updated soon...maybe even my Dick Van Dyke show ones too...but I can't promise anything! :P**

 **I'll see you soon! xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Here I am, only a couple of as promised! :P I'm really enjoying writing about my love of the equine world, so hopefully all updates will be this frequent.**

 **This chapter is dedicated to my favourite horse, Amber, who was an absolute darling and who I miss so much!**

 **Also, *please* tell me that there are other horse riders out there that read the last chapter and could relate to Maria's love of the smell of horses? None of my non-horsey friends ever understand me! I assure them that I adore the smell of horses (and horse manure - it's not weird or uncommon, I promise) but they just don't believe me. They're lovely smells...but they do take some time to get used to! XD**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

 **Riding into the sunset**

 **Chapter two**

Maria hadn't been lying about the children moulding her into an early riser; when Georg had roused the next morning, a had a very strong suspicion that he would have to seek permission to enter her room and bring her away from slumber. However, he was very much mistaken. He'd exited the master suite and tiptoed his way across the villa – to avoid waking any of the children – and had automatically walked across to Maria's room, but before he could even reach the door, a soft and suspicious voice had stopped him,

"Darling? What are you doing?"

The noise had startled him, and with a rather strong jolt of his body, he whipped around to see Maria stood at the bottom of the stairs – already clad in the riding gear she had borrowed from Liesl.

"Oh, Maria!" he gawped and gasped, "sorry, I guess I just wasn't expecting you to – uh – I mean…I thought perhaps…" he mentally scolded himself for the fact that he was apparently unable to string together a single coherent sentence…but he tenderly deduced that it wasn't all bad since his fiancée was the cause.

"I was telling the truth about being an early riser, Georg…besides, I admit that I was far too excited to even _think_ about sleeping in this morning" she blushed.

He gave her a sumptuous smile of affection and made his way towards her, each step seemingly slower than the last. Whilst it was utterly heart-warming to see her so passionate and excitable about something, there was a part of Georg's mind – the part that always drove him crazy when he was around her – that couldn't help but admire her figure from within the tight confines of her newfound riding gear…especially the jodhpurs. Whilst he'd had glimpses of the seemingly perfect figure that hid beneath Maria's dresses (the incident where she fell out of the row being just one of the occasions), but now, with the soft material clinging desperately to her legs of their own accord, little was left to the imagination. Her curves were, quite frankly, mesmerising, and the outfit seemed to prove that she really was the most incredible woman he'd ever seen; she was beautiful and, now, in tight trousers, very sexy. He was besotted with her.

Still, the tenderness that came with seeing her so joyously happy overpowered the beginnings of arousal and he was able to keep his body in check, but in truth, he had been taken aback by just how much her change of wardrobe had affected him…but surely it wasn't a bad thing that he found her so exhilaratingly attractive? And that he loved her so much that their physical separation at the hands of the chaperones was becoming more and more unbearable? He didn't think so…and he hoped he was correct in that assumption. Anyway, as he finally reached the bottom of the stairs, her attire no longer mattered, for he found himself completely captivated by the smile of child-like wonder that spread from ear to ear, and a sudden flood of warmth spread from his heart. He'd never be able to explain just how it felt to see her so happy about their morning ride, and he was glad that he could gift with something that meant so much to her.

He couldn't help but smile back – for her glee was infectious – and when he reached her, he brought a hand up to tenderly caress her cheek before pressing his lips to hers in a long, lingering kiss that served as his morning greeting. She blushed ever so slightly as they parted, for even though they had engaged in for more intimate acts, it was still the simplest and most sincere declarations of his love that had her blushing like a schoolgirl.

"I take it you're ready to go?" he hummed.

"Absolutely!" she beamed.

"Come on then," he said, entwining one of his hands with hers, "I won't keep you waiting, it's only a short drive to the stables anyway"

They walked swiftly (due to Maria's enthusiasm) towards the doors of the villa but were stopped short by an innocently peremptory cough; the couple – who suddenly felt guilty for no reason – whipped around to see Georg's sister – one of their many chaperones – standing at the entrance to the dining room with a smug grin on her face.

"You're up early, Hede" commented Georg colourlessly.

"Well, I wanted to get an early start, besides, the mornings here are so lovely. It would appear that the two of you are up bright and early too…going somewhere?" she inquired – teasing them mercilessly.

"We're going riding" he stated.

"Oh, I see. And when were you going to tell one of us that you were going out unsupervised?" Hede narrowed her eyes comically.

"Really, Hede? You don't need to know our every move, and what do you honestly think we're going to get up to? We'll be riding for goodness sake!"

Hede was about to make another joke, but Georg was too quick…

"And, _yes_ , we will be on separate horses, and, _no_ , I will not try and re-create some foolish romantic novel by galloping around shirtless…"

Georg continued to moan at his sister, but at the mention of her fiancée being shirtless, Maria had completely zoned out and fell victim to her own imaginings. Whilst the blush creeping onto her cheeks was a giveaway, she'd never admit that she would actually _love_ to see him shirtless whist on the back of some fine stallion…or shirtless at all for that matter. On hotter days, he had rolled up his sleeves and freed a couple of his top buttons, but that was all the skin she'd ever seen…but even recalling those finer details made her skin heat up until she was sure she was made of nothing but molten lava. Such thoughts had been a regular occurrence since they're engagement, and whilst she and Georg had explored them in their simpler forms, she still longed to understand them fully…and to fulfil them too…

"…honestly, Hede, it's quite insulting" was the sentence that brought Maria back into the present, and she hoped that she wouldn't appear as flushed as she felt.

"Oh, don't be so serious, Georg! I was only teasing you. You're both welcome to go riding without one of us accompanying you, and I hope you enjoy yourselves"

"Thank you" Georg said with a singular nod.

"Just be back in time for breakfast" smirked his sister before darting off towards the kitchen.

"I'll never understand you two" Maria chuckled – the sound of her laughter soothing any of Georg's tenser emotions and bringing him back into the state of bliss that he had discovered only moments before.

He took hold of her hand again.

"Come on, before someone else wants to lecture us" he jested, and with that, the two of them hurried out into the early morning sunlight and into Georg's car.

Georg, of course, being the gentleman that he always was around Maria, held her door open for her before allowing himself to get into the driver's seat, and he relished into the gratuitous smile and precious blush that graced her features in response to his actions. There was something about her – there had _always_ been something about her – that he just found utterly intoxicating. The car soon roared to life and pulled away from the villa.

"So, where do you usually ride?" Maria asked excitedly as they drove down the deserted road.

"That depends on what I set out to do with the horses, there's a school* right by the stables, as well as many private fields…but I usually like to go for a casual ride along the trails, they're almost always empty and it's really quite peaceful"

"I'm so excited" she admitted.

"I'm glad" he smiled. And he was.

"Can we go along the trails this morning?"

"We can go wherever you like, sweetheart. Today is about you…So, tell me, what were your uncle's horses like?"

Normally he wouldn't ask her about her uncle – not unless she initiated the conversation – for he knew how painful the memories of her abusive childhood were, but he was extremely grateful to see that her eyes sparkled at the mention of the horses she once knew and loved.

"Oh, they were just lovely!" she told him joyously, "there were only two of them, but they were just darlings!"

"Is that so?"

"Mmm-hmm, both geldings, one was called Glanzen* and the other was Garrison"

"He liked the letter G then?"

"I think they may have come with those names…" she pondered.

"Do you know what breeds they were?"

"Glanzen was definitely a Hanoverian…" she gushed, "…but I'm not sure about Garrison?"

"A fine breed…can I assume from your tone that this Glanzen was your favourite?" he chuckled.

"He was," she blushed, "I never liked to pick favourites, but he was such a fine animal, very powerful yet so graceful in his movements; and he'd never hurt a fly…Garrison could be a tad temperamental"

"The most misbehaved horses are usually the ones that will teach you the most"

"Oh, I definitely don't disagree with that, and don't get me wrong, Glanzen certainly knew how to buck like a champion, but I'm sure even you'd admit to preferring a calm ride over a strenuous one, even if it would benefit you in hindsight"

"Sometimes" he pondered, "I suppose it depends on a person's delayed gratification"

"There was just something about Glanzen that I was drawn to" she said softly, her mind drifting back to the horse that her heart still occasionally ached for.

"I'd be a fool to argue with that" he said tenderly, "anyway, we're here now, and I think I might have a surprise for you" he grinned.

"Oh, what is it?" she asked – sounding much too like his younger daughters.

"You'll have to wait and see" he teased and couldn't help but laugh at her mock pout.

But it was instantly wiped from her face when he parked the car and Maria could finally look upon the stables in all their glory…

* * *

 ** _* School - so, when I say school, I am referring to the area where you can ride your horse. There are many different words used for this area (school, arena, menage, ring...) but school is the one that I grew up using and is the one that comes naturally to me. And I have no idea what they'd call it in Austria or Germany, so I just stuck with what I knew._**

 ** _* Glanzen - German word for 'Shine'. Not sure if this is a name that would be used for a horse or pet in Austria/Germany, but I just thought that it sounded nice._**

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES: I really hope you enjoyed that and I hope you guys are still okay with this format of short chapters but very frequent updates (please let me know if you don't like it)**

 **And, don't worry, the story will progress a lot more in chapter three - that's when we'll get into all the proper horsey stuff (as well as more romance) and I'm so excited! ...seriously, horse riding runs in my bloodstream! XD**

 **Anyway, I'd love to hear what you thought of this chapter and I'll see you soon! xxx**


	3. Chapter 3

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: I wasn't expecting to have this done for a couple more days, but I've just managed to write this in one sitting, so, I thought why should I keep you waiting? :P**

 **There's a lot more horsey stuff in this one, and it's only going to increase from this point onward...but that's a good thing! There's also a fair amount of equine terminology in this, but the words that I feel may need explaining, as always, will be marked with an * and explained at the end of the chapter.**

 **This chapter is dedicated to the amazing riding school where I spent the majority of my childhood, all the incredible people I met there and all that I learnt.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Riding into the sunset**

 **Chapter three**

"Oh, Georg…" breathed Maria, "It's simply lovely!"

And, indeed they were. The stables were not a towering or looming structure like one might expect someone of the Austrian aristocracy to own, but they were far grander than anything Maria had ever known. The stables looked more like some American country house more than anything else, they had spotless white walls that contained at least two floors, accompanied by thin pillars supporting and over-hanging roof that sheltered the horses should the wish to gaze upon the outside world. As they walked around, Maria spotted the huge matching white doors that led to the interior of the stables and she was once again breathless.

Everything was absolutely spotless, not a speck of mud or straw in sight, how on earth could that be? She knew that the situations were entirely different, but when she was a child Maria would spend countless hours cleaning the barn, only to have the muck and dirt reappear only seconds after she'd finished. She was completely amazed. The interior was just as breath-taking as the exterior too; rows of individual stables lined both sides of the walkway, each one in shining white and jet black colours that kept alive the aesthetic of the entire structure. At the end of the walkway, tucked into the corner, Maria spotted a set of stairs and upon following their path, she saw a sort of loft where straw, hay and other types of feeds were kept.

"You like it then?" Georg chuckled as he marvelled at the fact that his fiancée had not said a word for a full five minutes.

"It's magnificent! I've never seen anything quite like it"

"It's a fine building, I really don't know why I don't come here more often"

"Now that I've seen it, I don't think I'll be able to stay away"

Georg laughed heartily.

"So, all that trouble we went through before our engagement could've easily been solved by a few horses and clean stables?"

"Oh, yes! I never would've dreamt of leaving if I knew these were just a stones throw away" she jested.

"Back so soon, Captain?" a young voice called from the end of the walkway.

As the figure approached, Maria could see it was clearly one of the stable hands that Georg employed; he was young, probably only a year or two older than Maria with dusty blonde hair, and even in his worn work clothes he still managed to look like the picture of class. His faded blue shirt framed his torso generously, his sleeves rolled up to reveal strong, tanned arms and a large pair of gloves protected his hands from the block of straw he was lugging around. Maria was sure that he was the kind of man that young girls would completely throw themselves at.

"I hope you meant what you said about not throwing yourself at stable boys" Georg muttered into her ear, causing her cheeks to set ablaze, "It would seem so" Georg said to the stable hand in a friendly enough tone, but since this was Maria's first visit, he kept his eyes peeled for gazes that lingered for too long.

"Is this the fiancée I've heard so much about?" the man asked before setting down the block of straw.

"Indeed it is. Felix, I'd like you to meet Maria. Maria, this is Felix"

"I won't shake your hand, Fraulein, these gloves aren't the cleanest," he chuckled, "and I've been out in the sun all day"

"Oh, you must be overheating having to work in this weather!"

"No, it's not all that bad. I quite like it, I grew up on a farm so it's nothing new to me"

"Oh, really. I grew up on a farm too" Maria beamed.

"Is that so? Whereabouts?"

"Not too far from here, up near the mountains"

"That must've been wonderful. My grandparents used to own a little cottage near there and it's just beautiful" Felix gushed.

"Yes, it is. Simply gorgeous!"

Felix was about to speak again, but a deep and slightly peremptory cough from Georg prevented him from doing so.

"Felix, which of the horses are in today?"

"They're all in at the moment, Captain, we won't be turning them out for a few hours yet"

"Do you know if anyone plans to ride them?"

"I think Herr Weber is coming to exercise Anka and Frau Koch will probably be down again to ride Orkan*, but apart from that, they're all free…and I don't think Orkan and Anka are being used until later this afternoon"

"Thank you, Felix. Don't let us keep you"

"Enjoy your ride" he said politely, mostly directed at Maria, before picking up the bail of straw and heading back inside.

"He was nice" Maria said innocently.

"He's a good worker" Georg replied.

"What did you mean when you asked if anyone planned to ride them? Did you mean the other stable hands?"

"No. See, I own a few horses, but I don't really have the time to exercise them all, so, as well as letting the stable hands ride them, most of them are on loan"

"Loan?"

"Kind of like sharing, the horses all technically belong to me, and I can ride them whenever, but people pay me a certain amount every month so that they can also own them; they just need to say in advance when they plan to ride to avoid any confusion"

"Oh, I see. Are all of them on loan?"

"One or two aren't – those are the ones that the workers usually exercise"

"So, you and I – and the children – could ride any of the horses whenever we wanted as long as one of the share owners don't plan to ride at the same time?"

"Precisely. So, don't worry, you'll still have a large degree of freedom with them"

"I intend to take it" she blushed. "Do I get to see my surprise now?"

"Of course" Georg chuckled, "but let me introduce you to the horses first"

And, with that, the two of them walked into the building.

"I own six horses…" Georg began, "this one you already heard about, this is Orkan" Georg gestured to the first stable on the right, and when Maria peered inside, she saw a stunning skewbald* stallion grazing happily on haylage.

"Oh, he's just beautiful" Maria gushed before clicking her tongue, the young horse lifted his head momentarily from his meal, but looked down only a few seconds later, "I guess I'm not as interesting as haylage" she laughed.

"I wouldn't take it personally, like most stallions, he can be grumpy and misbehaved at the best of times"

"Then he suits his name well"

"Indeed. However, the one he has to look at all day is quite the opposite…" Georg led her over to the stables opposite Orkan's, "this is my finest mare, Britta"

And the mare was just that. She stood proudly in her stall – at a good sixteen hands – with her ears twitching and listening to every single sound and rustle that came from around her. She was a dazzling flea bitten grey* with her coat and mane absolutely spotless. When the mare spotted Maria, she stepped forward to the stable door and sniffed her eagerly; touched by the affection, Maria let Britta sniff her hand before moving upwards to rub her ears – something that the mare clearly enjoyed.

"She's an absolute darling…and beautiful too!"

"She's my personal favourite, and rarely temperamental like a lot of mares"

"I hope it's just horses you're referring to, darling?" Maria teased.

"Oh, don't worry, it is!"

"Who's next?" asked Maria excitedly.

"Next is Trisanna*"

"Like the river?"

"Yes, I believe she was bred near that area"

Trisanna was not what Maria had been expecting, when she reached the door she was greeted by a bay Cob* with the most stunning white feathers* and shiniest coat she'd ever seen; she was smaller than the other horses, but she could instantly tell that the mare had a very strong athletic build. Again, this mare chose to pay attention to Maria, which – just like Britta – earnt Trisanna a generous rub to the ears.

"I didn't think you'd own a Cob" Maria told her fiancée.

"Normally I wouldn't go for them, to me they're more like riding school ponies, but she's actually a very fine jumper. She's very different to the rest of them, far from a top bred show horse, but, like I said, she's a fine animal; the perfect example of how looks can be deceiving"

"She seems lovely, from what I've heard, she might be my favourite"

"Well, I think there's another that'll be afforded that honour, but let's wait and see"

"How intriguing" Maria chuckled.

"Anyway, next up is the other infamous mare that you heard about"

"Anka?"

"The one and only"

Anka was another grey, only dapple this time, with a shimmering silvery mane to accompany her coat; however, she paid no attention to the two onlookers and Georg informed her that she was incredibly stubborn and had a tendency to throw her riders…but he kept her because she was one of the finest dressage horses he'd ever encountered. The fifth horse was Atlas, Georg's prize cross-country horse, and was very appropriately named due to the strong, muscular build that he possessed. He also had the finest jet-black coat that Maria had ever seen, it was like the depth of midnight itself with a striking white blaze* on his face to accompany it. He was a fine animal.

"And now for the final horse" Georg announced.

"And this one is my surprise?"

"Yes. His name is Alrick"

Georg said no more about the horse, but nothing else needed to be said, for when Maria saw him, she was utterly speechless. Inside the stables was a stunning bay Hanoverian. He perked up as soon as he saw Maria, and the trickles of the early sunlight spilled into his pen and illuminated his glossy coat; he snorted happily at the sight of the new person who'd come to greet him and tenderly walked toward Maria before nuzzling against her offered hand. He was so soft, and his actions were so gentle…this was all too familiar.

"Oh, Georg…" she exhaled, "…is he…?"

"Yes, he's a Hanoverian. I was hoping this would be your reaction since you seem to have a soft spot for the breed"

"Oh, I do. And he looks just like Glanzen"

"I'm glad to hear that"

"What's he like to ride?" she questioned – her eyes never leaving the gelding.

"He's an absolute dream. Fast, strong and a fine jumper, but also incredibly gentle and his movements are so graceful that you'd swear he was a dressage horse rather than a jumper"

"He sounds perfect"

"He is. He's probably the most prized horse here"

"Is he anyone's loan horse?"

"No, not yet" Georg grinned.

Maria spent a few more extended moments fussing over the fine steed, and he seemed to enjoy it thoroughly. He really did look just like her beloved childhood horse, there were a few differences, of course, but from a short distance they could easily be mistaken. She ran her hand up and down Alrick's cheek and was still delighted by how soft his coat was, and he took the fuss with great mirth and even tilted his head to encourage Maria to scratch his ears – which she did so with a beaming smile before twirling her fingers through his forelock*.

"Georg, can I ride him?" she asked, her voice slightly breathy from the awe she still possessed. Again, her gaze didn't leave the horse.

Georg stepped forward, gave Alrick a look of pride before placing a loving hand on his fiancée's shoulder and kissing the top of her head,

"Anything for you, love"

* * *

 ***Orkan - German word for Hurricane**

 ***Skewbald - refers to a specific colour of a horses coat, a Skewbald horse is brown and white.**

 ***Flea bitten grey - another colour of a horses coat, the coat has small grey hairs which look a little bit like bites or speckles.**

 ***Trisanna - A river in Tyrol, Austria.**

 ***Cob - A breed of horse, sometimes referred to as a 'Welsh section D'. I thought I should explain this one since Cob can mean a few different things...especially in English.**

 ***Feathers - The long hair that grows around the lower leg and hooves on horses. Some breeds (like Cobs and Shires) have very long feathers.**

 ***Blaze - A thick (usually white) stripe that runs down a horses face.**

 ***Forelock - The bit of mane that is between the horses ears, it's like a fringe (or bangs, if you're American)**

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, I promised you that they will actually ride the horses in the next chapter! XD I was actually frustrated that I couldn't write it, but, alas, I have decided on short, yet frequent, chapters.**

 **Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed that, (I hope me gushing over imaginary horses wasn't too boring!) and like I said, there will be riding in the next chapter, so please stick with this story...oh, and there _will_ be a plot! :P**

 **I'll hopefully have the next chapter up soon as well as the next chapter of "Better than a Dream".**

 **Thanks so much for reading and thank you so much for all the lovely reviews so far!**

 **I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter too and I'll see you soon! xxx**


	4. Chapter 4

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: This chapter is a day or two later than I would have liked, but it's also a fair bit longer than the other two, so I hope that makes up for it?**

 **Anyway, there is riding in this chapter, so if you started reading this story for that, then you'll finally get it, haha! And, even though it may not seem like it just yet, I promise that there is a plot for this story.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy this because it's got all my equine emotions in it! XD**

* * *

 **Riding into the sunset**

 **Chapter Four**

"Where's your tack* room?" was Maria's next jovial question.

Georg smiled again at her unbridled enthusiasm and brushed a stray strand of her hair back into its proper place.

"It's around the other side of the building. I'll show you"

He took her hand, squeezed it gently and lead her back through the stables; Georg marvelled at how her gaze never stayed in one place for too long, she would constantly dart her head from left to right, not only drinking in the sight of the horses, but everything else around them. He concluded that that was one of the main things that made her stand out; there were so many dreadful stereotypes about equestrians – most of which revolved around them being spoilt and obnoxious – and whilst Georg certainly knew a few people who proved such whisperings to be true, his fiancée was not one of them. Not at all. Even a complete stranger could tell that she was absolutely enthralled by everything that came with the equine world, and not just the nobility of the sport itself; they could tell that she would not only be more than happy to get up to her waist in mud and muck but would be glad for it.

They could tell that she would much rather ruin a pair of cream-coloured jodhpurs and come home with straw in her hair then never have a speck of dirt upon her; she valued bonding with the animals, getting to know them and treating them with all the love and care that they were worthy of. It was perhaps a rare trait, but he adored it so, and it was one that he knew he'd never allow himself to take for granted, not when the world was changing so rapidly. He knew that she was so tender in everything she did, had she not been the one to get his children to trust and adore her within only one day? No other governess had all seven of them in their room and singing songs about Strudel, no other governess had actually tried to comfort his children during times of fear, but Maria had. She had always cared so much.

"Can I assume that you have spare riding hats too?" she enquired – forcing him away from his reverie.

"Yes, plenty. Do you know what size you are?"

"It's been a while, but I can't imagine I'll be much bigger than a size one"

"That should be fine, we have plenty of smaller hats…Felix has quite a small head, you know?" he teased in a murmur and Maria promptly let out a stifled giggle as they made their way out of the stables – the morning sun washing over her skin like warm, soapy water.

"This way" Georg narrated as they rounded the corner, and sure enough, there was a smaller building attached to the stables, painted and decorated to perfectly match the far more overpowering structure; still, Maria couldn't help but marvel at the size of it.

"You could live in there!" she laughed, "I can't even remember where my uncle kept his horses' tack, but it certainly wasn't in anything the size of a country cottage!"

Georg laughed again – practically idolising how Maria managed to make him see the world with fresh new eyes, her attitude towards everything around her always brimmed with positivity, like the earth's light followed her wherever she went. It was extraordinary.

"Well, we have a few different sets of tack for different occasions, plus, we keep all of the soaps and conditioners in here too"

When they entered the tack room, Maria was hit instantly by the rich, heady smell of leather and she couldn't help how her eyes closed with contentment or suppress the delighted sigh that left her lips, it was a smell that instantly took her back to the happier times of her childhood, when it was just her and her uncle's horses.

"Another favourite smell of yours?" Georg asked warmly.

"Even you can't deny how delicious it is" she blushed.

"Not at all" he chuckled fondly, "Alrick's saddle is that one" he told her as he pointed to a glistening black saddle that hung proudly in the corner – a matching bridle beneath it.

"This must have cost a fortune!" Maria exclaimed as she admired the equipment.

"More than I would care to admit," he smirked, "but a fine horse deserves a fine saddle"

"I would've given anything to have had a saddle like this for Glanzen" she mourned, her voice becoming slightly airy.

"It's not something you'll have to fret over again, my love" he whispered before pecking her cheek.

After slipping her arm through the bridle and hoisting the saddle into her grasp, Maria gave her fiancée a gratuitous smile before he did the exact same thing with a saddle of his own.

"For Britta?" she guessed.

"It's very unbecoming of a rider to neglect his favourite mare" he announced with a smile.

They were about to exit when Maria – ever the observant – spotted a neatly filled box of curry combs.

"Will they need grooming before we take them out?"

Georg shook his head,

"No, the workers groom them as soon as they're brought in from the paddocks"

Maria nodded in understanding, attempting to hide the fact that she was somewhat disappointed with his answer; she had always adored grooming the horses, firmly believing that when not in the saddle, it was the best possible way to bond with a horse. Still, she was sated in the knowledge that she would soon be on horseback after far too long…what more could she possibly ask for?

"Of course, they should be groomed after they've been ridden too" Georg winked before opening the tack room door and allowed her to step out.

Yet another flush rose in her cheeks, but their surroundings seemed to light up when she flashed him a dazzling smile – it was her way of both thanking him and proving once again just how much this meant to her. And it was all the thanks he'd ever need. Maria made her way back to Alrick's stable with eager steps and hung the tack over his stable door – delighting in the way his ears were pricked at the sight.

"Someone looks excited" she cooed as she entered his stable.

The gelding nickered gently, and Maria felt her heart swell, oh how she'd missed this! Like before she held out her hand for him to sniff, and once he seemed satisfied she moved forward to run a gentle caress down his neck.

"You're absolutely gorgeous" she said to him – his ears twitched as he listened intensely, "a really fine animal. I do hope we get along"

Alrick simply stood there and let her stroke him, enjoying every second of the offered affection; he really was marvellous: tall, muscular in the right ways and his coat with simply dazzling beneath he morning rays.

"Come on," Maria announced softly, "let's get you ready"

Taking the bridle, she slipped the reins over his head before standing beside him, she slid a thumb into the side of his mouth and pressed down gently onto his tongue to encouraging to open his mouth; he did so without any protest and the bit* slid easily into his mouth.

"Such a good boy" she rewarded when the bridle was on and the straps had all been fastened.

Putting on his saddle proved to be just as easy, after heaving the heavy leather onto his back and straightening the numnah*, Maria was extremely pleased to find that he would not fight with her and allowed her to tighten the girth accordingly. Garrison – the more temperamental of her uncle's horses – would often puff out his stomach and shift around whenever she tried to saddle him up, and more often than not, young Maria would be easily tricked into thinking the girth was tight enough…only to have the saddle (and herself) slip off his back seconds into their ride.

Alrick however, kept himself perfectly still, allowing Maria to take her time, and she began to believe that the gelding was actually doing his best to aid her in her task.

"You've got such a kind soul…and you seem to be quite the gentleman!" she giggled.

The sound of her musical laughter attracted the steed's attention and Maria smiled lovingly before softly stroking him between his eyes – letting the warm sounds of his docile breaths fill the air around her, serving as a relaxer for her too. She measured and adjusted each stirrup until they lay at her desired length and stood back to admire how Alrick looked in al his glory. Maria reach out and let her fingertips smooth across his coat and she found herself sinking into a trance as she focused on the softness of the hairs that covered him, the way they shone with such majesty and how they felt like nothing less than the most luxurious silk.

For the hundredth time that day, the gravity of it all weighed on Maria's shoulders, she never thought she'd be lucky enough to get back in the saddle – especially when she entered the convent – and now, here she was, mere minutes away from doing one of the things that used to make her heart beat; one of the few glimmers of light and hope amongst her bleak adolescence. She suddenly felt her heart quivering, riding had been her savour, and now, she was about to run back into its awaiting arms.

"Fraulein" a familiar voice beckoned, and Maria whipped around to see Felix approaching the stable, "The Captain said you wore a size one hat" he smiled, passing the item in question over the door.

"Yes, thank you" she breathed – trying not to appear too flustered after having her sentimental musings interrupted.

She slipped the hat onto her head and smiled as it fit like a glove – the familiar weight feeling like the presence of an old friend.

"Are you ready?"

"I think so" Maria chirped.

With a smile and a nod, Felix opened the stable door for her, Maria took hold of the reins and lead Alrick out of his stable…and she simply couldn't hide the smile that spread across her cheeks as the rhythmic sound of horse's hooves echoed throughout the building. A couple of the other horses whinnied to Alrick as he was lead away, but he paid them no mind and instead kept his tender attention focused on the new woman who seemed to live and breathe the equestrian spirit.

Georg was already outside waiting – his mare tacked up and standing proudly with her grey coat shining brightly – and he grinned adoringly at her as she approached him; and although his scrutiny came from nothing but sheer love, she felt herself turning red beneath his gaze. She hadn't noticed it until now, but he looked so dashing in his riding gear…well, he _always_ looked dashing, but there was something about the long black boots, spotless coat and slim-fitting breeches that just made him…insatiable. She tried to ignore it – oh, how she tried to ignore it – but like a moth to a flame, her gaze was simply drawn to him, and soon, she was feeling a whole new sort of blush, a blush that seemed to heat up not only her cheeks, but every single inch of her body. She knew he was attractive – had found him to be such even before their engagement – and had had plenty of heated moments and interlocking gazes with him, but this, oh, this was somehow different, and not only did she long to know why, she also craved whatever would allow her to sate these desire…and the courage to act on them without guidance or prompt.

"Riding helmets don't suit you" she teased lightly – hoping to distract herself from the stirrings that he had caused within her.

"I don't much like them in ways of fashion or comfort, but I've had far too many knocks to the head to risk riding without one"

"Any serious injuries?"

"Not to my head" he shrugged, "I'll indulge you in the rest of my tales once we're out on the trail"

"Sounds good to me, Captain" she grinned.

"Well, _Fraulein_ ," he said almost sumptuously, "are you ready to head off?"

"Absolutely!"

"Do you need a hand mount—"

But before Georg could even finish his inquiry, he heard a brief shuffle and looked up to see that Maria had already swung herself onto her steed's back and was now sitting up straight and smiling cheekily at him as she gathered up the reins and slipped her feet into the stirrups.

"Ever the wonder" he gushed before mounting his mare.

"Shall we, my dear?" he flirted gently.

"Lead the way, good sir"

And so, with a squeeze of their lower legs and gentle clicks of the tongues, the couple urged their mounts into a steady walk, and side-by-side, began to make their way down the trail. It was only moments before they seemed to be engulfed by the trees – the luscious green surroundings enclosing them in its loving grasp – and suddenly, they were at one with nature, right in its beating heart and surrounded by purity. In a way, it was quite moving. Every now and then, their ears would catch the melodic whistle of a bird, or perhaps the gentle rustle of a branch as it danced within the breeze, it was like a breath of fresh air, and to experience it on the back of an animal that was so strong, so mighty, and yet stayed calm just for them was just indescribable. Maria couldn't help but sigh…

"Anything the matter, Maria?"

"Oh, not at all, it's just that…oh, I don't know how to explain in eloquently but, well, I haven't ridden in so long and it just feels amazing to be back in the saddle – even with all the aches and pains it brings – it's like I never left and it just feels so comfortable…" she pondered for just a second, "…it feels like home" she blushed.

He smiled sweetly,

"A truly touching sentiment, Maria"

"I'm glad you don't find it to be out of sorts"

"Quite the opposite actually, I know I don't seem like it, but even with my adoration for the sea I cannot deny what joy riding brings me. It can be anything you want it to be, absolutely anything from the most challenging of sports to the most relaxing of hobbies…I didn't ride much when – when Agathe passed away…" he faltered, "…but when I did, I found it to be extremely cathartic"

"I can empathise with that…" Maria began, her body saying gently with the movements of her horse, "the years I spent with my uncle were probably the darkest times of my life, but riding was the one thing that would make me smile, and when I was with them, I could sometimes forget my woes and for just a moment I could believe that everything was going to be okay"

Georg swallowed hard, desperately trying to push away his anger and sorrow; she rarely spoke of her uncle or the things that he had done to her – he knew how much trauma it could cause her to recall those times – but he still could not believe how a man could be so cruel and abusive to such an innocent young girl…

"It's therapeutic beyond belief, I wish more people could see that instead of turning it into nothing but an elitist sport or a community of arrogance" he scoffed.

"I suppose its up to us to keep our part of it peaceful…it's about the bond between horse and rider, after all, not solely what they can do for us"

"Quite right" he agreed with admiration.

"How long is this trail?" Maria asked as they both squeezed their horses into a gentle trot.

Now working on some sort of auto-pilot, Maria pushed her heels further down and allowed her body to rise and fall with her mount's methodical footfall; she had never been a fan of sitting trot, she found she could never quite sit deep enough and all of the bouncing was just uncomfortable. Looking across, she could see that her fiancée held a similar opinion of the gait.

"It actually last for a good few miles, but unfortunately, we won't have time to ride right to the end and back. Once we get to the halfway point, there should be a bit of a clearing, I usually stop there for a moment and then head back"

"Sounds like a fine plan" she giggled.

They continued their languid trot for a while, simply enjoying their togetherness within such a gorgeous setting and engaged in the sport of kings; they had gone for their leisure, after all. Maria found that a smile had permanently etched itself across her features, everything just felt so perfect. She rose and fell to the trot like she had never been away, like her body had been made for this exact purpose; and even though her thighs ached slightly from the strain they had not experienced for a few years, the whole thing felt as comfortable as a warm embrace. Maria knew that this was a place of her belonging, she would never feel alone when on horseback.

She gazed over at her fiancée – her heart warming and swelling at the sight of him – she knew that she'd never be able to thank him enough for what he'd given her today, probably because she couldn't even express just how much this all meant to her, but she knew she'd happily spend the rest of their engagement trying, especially considering she now had the horses almost at her complete disposal. There was something else about him on a horse that caused her heart to flutter, but unlike the more promiscuous stirrings that she had felt at the stables, these emotions were far more affectionate. Perhaps it was the gentility that he exuded when he was around horses – how he treated them with respect – or perhaps the fact that he was clearly a very talented rider…however, Maria suspected that it was simply due to the fact that he looked so at peace when he was in the saddle.

She imagined that's what it would be like to watch him sleep, when his face would (presumably) be free from the lines of worry and he could simply exist as himself, _that's_ how he looked when on horseback, there were no woes, no authority and no title; he was merely Georg in his simplest form…and she loved him so.

"Is the trail straight?" Maria asked suddenly.

They slowed back into a walk.

"For a little while, but there's a bend a little further up…why do you ask?"

Then she gave him an utterly irresistible grin,

"Fancy a race, Captain?"

* * *

 ***Tack - Equipment used for riding a horse, saddle, bridle...ETC.**

 ***Bit - The metal part of the bridle that goes into the horses mouth.**

 ***Numnah - May also be called a saddle cloth or saddle pad (among other things) but it is the fabric that lies under the saddle; Numnah was simply the word I was taught.**

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES: I really hope you enjoyed that, like I said there will be a plot, and there will be some steamy encounters coming soon (because I put that in the story description but haven't really delivered yet) - I'm a woman of my word, I promise.**

 **Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts and chapter five should be up within the next few days.**

 **See you soon! xx**


	5. Chapter 5

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hello, everyone! I'm so sorry that this chapter is late, but I've been so busy lately, and I'm afraid that I'm really not going to have that much free time. I will try my best to get this story done before I move away, but there may be a delay with all of my updates within the next couple of weeks. But, like I said, I'm going to my best to update as often as I can and with good quality chapters too.**

 **Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this.**

* * *

 **Riding into the sunset**

 **Chapter Five**

At first, Georg's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but after pondering her suggestion – and drinking in that delectable smirk of hers – he simply grinned at his fiancée and he brought his mare to a halt.

"Race, Fraulein?" he asked – his pitch rising playfully.

"Yes, just the first one to reach the turn" she replied with an over-confident smile.

"Are you comfortable to gallop along a foreign trail?"

"You seem to be very concerned with my own wellbeing, I think you're trying to distract me from the fact that _you're_ the one with doubts" she teased.

"Oh, is that so?"

"Are you not up to it, Captain? I know how much you revel in victory, so I can understand why you would not want to take part in something that you felt you could not win" he watched as she bit down on her smirk, and within seconds she'd broken down the final barrier of his self-control, and he was completely persuaded.

"Very well, I accept your challenge"

Maria eyed him competitively and the pair both shortened their reins, their mounts pricked their ears and raised their heads at the movement – knowing that something was about to happen. Alrick snorted eagerly and Maria gave his neck a brief rub, her eyes never leaving Georg – who was wearing and insufferable smirk of his own.

"First one to the turn wins" she stated.

"Any reward for the winner?"

"The winner shall decide that themselves"

"Very well, would you like to provide the countdown, Fraulein"

"My pleasure," she accepted – punctuated with a single nod, " _Drei…zwei…eins_!"

All at once, clicks of tongues and gentle growls of encouragement filled the air as both riders rose into a light seat – their heels pushed firmly towards the ground – as their horses tossed their heads and pushed off into strong gallops; and then, Maria and Georg were flying. Their horse's hooves thundered beneath them, a wild, methodical drum beat that carried them along the woodland trail, all at once reminding them of both the grace and power that these animals possessed in abundance. Maria leant forward a little more, savouring the strong movements of Alrick's muscles – how they snapped and rocked in majestic strides to carry her along with him; burying her hands into his mane a little, she allowed herself to close her eyes for just a second, to trust the horse with her as his passenger and to simply feel the adrenalin-fuelled serenity of the moment.

The wind rushing past her in crisp whips and crashing against the bare, petal-soft skin of her cheeks was delectable, such raw freedom that so few people got to experience in their lifetimes; and had she not been incredibly focused on the fact that she was trying to outdo her fiancée, she would've surely focused every ounce of her energy on the magnificent feeling of just being horse and rider. She snuck a gaze across to him and noticed that he was intensely focused on the current task – his eyes locked on the path ahead and his hands snapping back and forth to match the movement of his mare's neck. It was then that Georg's mount began to edge forward ever so slightly – as they picked up a faster speed – and when he was confident in the newfound gait, he turned to face her and shot her a cheeky smirk that both melted and infuriated her. Well, she wasn't about to let him get the upper hand so easily.

Maria clicked her tongue a couple of times before strengthening her seat and letting her hands move with the movement of her horse's neck – much like Georg had – and she broke out into an astonished smile as she felt Alrick begin to move faster. Rough snorts left his nostrils as his limbs began to jolt within his powerful gallop, his neck rocking in sharp recoils as he flew down the path, she could feel the strength of his legs and she was momentarily taken aback by the might of this animal. But when she discovered that she was ever so slightly ahead of Georg, she could no longer dwell on the magnificence of the animal kingdom, and instead regained that playfully competitive nature that she had always possessed. She might just be able to wipe that smirk off his face.

The continued to bolt down the path, the riders comfortably sat as their mounts glided within their own power, the trees and foliage around them became little more than green blurs as their travel speed showed no signs of slowing. It was like a void really, a temporary suspension in time that was characterised by something so electrifying. But within the euphoria and desire to be victorious, one thought had occurred to Maria…

"How far away is the turn?" she shouted to her fiancée, but she could barely hear her own voice through the rushing of the wind around them.

"Soon!" he bellowed back - entirely too focused for it to possibly be a lie.

Maria knew that this would be her final chance to overtake him, they had reverted back to being neck-and-neck, and if she timed it right, she'd be able to take a good lead as they reached the corner – with enough time to safely slow down. She kept her hands moving and she gave Alrick a few sharp squeezes with her heels; the steed pricked his ears again and shook his head up and down before responding immediately. It had momentarily shocked Maria when he suddenly upped his pace – moving at speeds she was sure only top stallions could travel at – but he did as she had asked without question and she felt her stomach drop in anticipation as Georg began to fall behind. Squinting, she could see the turn just ahead and she became giddy in the knowledge that she might actually win this. She squeezed her horse again, encouraging him to keep the pace, and he did, their rapid gallop continued as the bend became closer and closer until finally she reached it.

She simply couldn't stop herself from smiling as she realised that she had just bested her fiancée in a challenge, and as she slowed Alrick to a soft canter, trot and eventually to a lazy walk, she allowed herself just to giggle ever so slightly as a disgruntled Georg came up beside her. She didn't speak for a while, instead she just wanted to drink in the moment and memorise every detail of Georg's face – she had never seen him at the losing end of something before, and she wanted to never forget it…but it was all in good humour, of course. The pair of them lengthened their reins to let the horses stretch out their necks, and when the volume of their mounts' exasperated snorts lowered, Maria finally spoke…

"Well, that was excellent, Georg – what a fine competitor you make" she beamed.

"And tell me, how long do you plan to gloat about this for?" he teased – his lip twitching into a smile.

"Oh, not long…" she said coyly, "just until I beat you at something else"

"So you plan to gloat for the rest of our natural lives then?"

"Cheeky!" she laughed, "I'm sorry that you're such a sore loser, but at least let me revel in my victory"

"You have the faster horse" he excused.

"Oh, yes, I'm _sure_ that was it…you're just losing your touch, Captain"

"I think not" he snorted, though she could tell that he wasn't really offended.

"Fancy a jump off next then?"

Georg promptly laughed at this,

"Only if you'll pay for the vet bills afterwards, I don't these two will be jumping over anything anytime soon"

"Guess I'll just have to remain as the rightful victor then" she smirked.

"You're insufferable" he teased.

"Then I guess it's time for a taste of your own medicine"

"I'm not this bad…besides, I never lose"

"Two very black lies, Georg, but I'll let them slide, there is little in this world that can extinguish the joy of victory"

Georg simply shook his head and laughed – both loving and hating her poetic descriptions of success.

"Come one, just a little further and they'll be a spot where we can tie these two up, they could use a short rest and I wouldn't mind stretching my legs after that"

"Sounds good" Maria smiled as they continued down the trail, "It was a fine race, Georg," she said honestly, "I enjoyed it very much"

"Me too. I haven't had a good gallop like that in quite a while"

"Let me know if you ever want to lose again" she winked.

"I knew you weren't just being nice"

"Those were my original intentions, but I just couldn't help myself!" she chuckled, "You know, Georg, we did agree that the winner gets to claim a prize"

"So we did…well, what would you like, my dear?"

Oh, Maria knew _exactly_ what she wanted…however, the blush that promptly covered her cheeks seemed to stop her words in her throat.

"Maria?"

"Well…I wouldn't mind a kiss" she admitted bashfully.

Georg raised an eyebrow at her, but then any surprise on his face simply melted into mischievous enjoyment.

"Well, I'm sure that can be arranged" he said – his voice like silk, "Here we are" he promptly announced.

Sure enough, they came to a small clearing and at the edge of it was a large hitching post, complete with a water trough, room to graze and two headcollars hanging from it.

"My, this is all very convenient"

"I had a couple of the workers set this up a few years ago, thought that it could come in handy"

"Do you not mind keeping the headcollars out here? What if someone takes them?"

"It's happened once or twice, but they're not overly expensive, besides, few other riders come out on this trail, so it wouldn't take much to discover any culprits"

"Well, I think it's terribly generous of you – and logical too"

"I am a man of logic, after all" he grinned.

They dismounted at the post before tying up the reins, rolling up the stirrups and loosening the girths, they slipped the headcollars over the horses' heads, tied them to the post at left them to drink and graze as they pleased. Like Maria, Georg promptly pealed his riding hat from his head and when he approached her she couldn't ignore the way her stomach fluttered at the sight of his dishevelled hair. He grinned deliciously at her.

"Does Fraulein Maria still wish to claim her prize?"

"She would much rather have it given to her" she said somewhat seductively, though her blush betrayed her.

"As you wish" Georg breathed before bringing his hands to rest upon her waist and tenderly tugged her towards him.

He didn't kiss her right away, instead he nuzzled the tip of his nose against her cheek and let his breath trickle across her skin, but when she raised her head – a silent request – he claimed her lips in a soft yet drugging kiss. The contact was full and utterly delightful as Maria allowed her arms to skate up his chest and wrap loosely around his neck – subconsciously shifting her body closer. She felt herself moan gently when Georg deepened the kiss and moved his lips with hers in perfect intoxicating movements; they were in complete sync, dragging out the kiss for as long as they could. When she felt her fiancée run his tongue over her lower lip, her knees buckled, and she had to rely on his hold of her to keep her upright, for once their tongues began to slowly dance, she was sure that she was incapable of standing on her own…in fact, it was all she could do to remember how to breathe.

They had kissed like this in the past, heated, passionate kisses, but with the chaperones and rumours regarding their relationship, they found that such kisses were few and far between, and their rarity made them all the more desirable for them both. Maria was sure she could count the number of times they had been properly alone on her hands, and they both wished more than anything that it was easier to escape their chaperones, just so that they could be alone, be passionate and get to know each other in the many different ways that lovers should – mind, body and soul. In fact, this riding excursion of theirs was one of the few times that they knew no one would tear them apart from anything too heated…and they intended to make the most of their privacy.

They were both slightly breathless when they pulled apart, but they did nothing but smile lovingly and gaze at each other, the heavy, palpable gaze that reminded the other just how much they loved them without ever needing to articulate it. Georg stroked her cheek tenderly before pecking her forehead and taking her hand to lead her over to a nearby apple tree; and once shaded from the sun, the couple leant against in – still hand-in-hand – and looked lazily upon the horses.

"It's so nice to finally be alone" Georg commented.

"I was thinking the same thing, I know why we have to have the chaperones, but sometimes it's just so frustrating…do they _really_ need to be with us at all times? I mean, they're even there when we're with the children, what on earth do they think we're going to do?"

"I guess that's just the way of things…especially within the aristocracy"

"I just wish we could have more privacy, surely it makes sense for an engaged couple to be able to get to know each other?"

"Well, that depends on what you mean" he raised his eyebrow ever so slightly.

"I do mean physically, but also so much more than that, I feel like you and I hardly ever get a chance to talk, and I mean properly talk. Those kinds of deep conversations that last for hours and you find out absolutely everything else about the other" she sighed, "I know that nothing actually stops us from talking, but I feel like I could never have a personal conversation with you when there's a chaperone sat a few feet away…even if it were just someone like Max or Hede"

"I could have a word with them if you like?"

"You would?" she asked – her eyes sparkling.

"Of course. I don't like you being upset, besides, I can't deny that I too long for us to have more alone time"

"Thank you, Georg" she breathed, "Sometimes it really does frustrate me. And do you not find it a tad insulting?"

"How do you mean?"

"I think that sometimes it's degrading towards you and your sense of decorum, do they really think that during every waking moment you just want to give into your physical desires?" she questioned defiantly whilst trying extremely hard not to blush.

"Sometimes _I_ doubt my sense of decorum"

"You do?" she asked, less shocked than she thought she'd be.

"I don't think you quite realise just what you do to me" he said honestly, "I still have many moments when I'm just so overwhelmed by how much I love you and how much I want to be with you…in every way"

Maria's breath caught in her throat, but not from fear, instead it was from the heady sense of desire that began to spark in the pit of her stomach, from the passion that he ignited from within her. She knew exactly how he felt about her because she felt the same way…it had only been in the last week or so that she had begun to understand it.

"I can empathise" she admitted quietly.

"You can?"

"Sometimes I feel exactly the same way about you"

She didn't miss the strong gulp that rippled down his throat. Georg hadn't quite expected this, he knew that she was incredibly timid about such things, and therefore the pair of them had taken things slowly, only increasing the intimacy a little at a time and when she was ready; and yet, almost out of nowhere, a sheer sense of understanding had befallen her, and she had somehow become a lot more confident. It stirred something up within him, something heated, something delectable…something that could only be born from intense love. She really was incredible, and he knew that she would always have the power to bring him to his knees – her spirit and thirst for life alone were enough to rob the air from his lungs.

"Then I suppose it's a good thing we have the chaperones" he said light-heartedly.

"Yes, I agree" she smiled, "I've really enjoyed today, Georg, thank you"

"You needn't thank me, love, it was my pleasure"

"I suppose I don't need to explain again how much this has meant to me"

"No, you don't have to," he chuckled lightly, "but if you want to, I'm certainly not going to stop you"

"Don't worry, I won't"

"Like I said back at the stables, you are welcome to use the horses whenever you want – a blind man could see how much you adore the sport"

"I do, I really do…" she trailed, simply allowing her love for the equine world to wash over her.

"Alrick seems to like you too"

"He's amazing, Georg – a truly magnificent animal"

"You can have him, if you want"

When she had processed his words, Maria's eyes suddenly bulged, and she whipped her head around to look straight at him.

"I…what did you just…?" she stammered.

"You can have him" he confirmed.

"But…but I…"

"No one has him on loan, and I can see how much the two of you have taken a shine to each other. It makes perfect sense in my mind, at least I know he'll be well looked after and with a rider who cares about him, you'd be able to ride him whenever you want, and the workers would ride and care for him whenever you're unable to" he explained casually, not so secretly loving her baffled expression.

"Do you mean it?" she questioned – her voice trembling.

"Of course I do. If you want him, he's yours"

"Oh, Georg!" she exclaimed, "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

And then, quite without warning, she threw her arms around him and pressed her lips to his in a heated kiss. The passion had taken them both by surprise, and when Maria pulled away from the sheer force that had been unleashed she saw her fiancée's eyes darken with desire. Suddenly the air grew impossibly thick, their breathing was heavy and everything else in the world melted away, it was just them, surrounded by desire and losing their battle against it. Just once, they allowed themselves to give in to its pull, to be drugged by it, and without thought, Georg captured her lips again…

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES: There you go! Hopefully the race lived up to your expectations, and as I'm sure you've guessed, there's going to be a nice bit of steamy romance in the next chapter! Like I said, I'll hopefully have it up sometime next week (along with the next chapter of Better than a Dream).**

 **Anyway, thank you all so much for all the lovely reviews and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter too.**

 **See you soon! xx**


	6. Chapter 6

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: I think I might actually be on time today! What a miracle! XD**

 **Anyway, I won't bore you in the way that I usually do, so, I'll just simply say: enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Riding into the sunset**

 **Chapter Six**

When Georg kissed her again, Maria instantly felt the embers roar to life in her stomach with a great whoosh, and suddenly, she felt lighter than air, like she was soaring beyond the stars and every inch of her body was tingling…it was unlike anything else she had ever felt before. His lips were so warm, but she could tell that he was kissing her with a great need, with the unbridled passions that he had held for her since their engagement – if not before. In truth, it overwhelmed her somewhat, for whilst they had shared kisses like this in the past – wild and untamed kisses that left her barely able to remember her own name – this was the first time that she had ever felt this unchained. There they were, just the two of them, half way along a woodland trail and completely wrapped up in each other and their own wanton desires.

Still, she didn't shy away from him, for his ministrations were so utterly delectable that she would surely die if they stopped, instead she clung to him, just as desperately as Georg held her against him, and he delighted in it; the way she gripped at his shoulders, looped her arms around his neck, moulded her body against his until they felt like one…he knew nothing more incredible. And yet, it just wasn't enough. He needed her desperately, like he needed oxygen, and much like the metaphor, he would surely suffocate if she were to ever be taken from him. Eventually, he eased her backwards by a step or two and pressed her between the smooth bark of the tree and his own frame – not missing the slight whimper of desire she released as their contact was heightened. She was intoxicating.

It didn't take long for the kiss to deepen, or for their tongues to once again meet in a heated yet sensual dance for dominance, a dance that their both hoped would never end; and somehow, with the combined intensity of their need and adoration for the other, their kiss ignited all over again, and they were powerless to stop the rapid, fiery movements of their lips. Without thinking, Maria brought a hand to sink into is already ruffled hair and pull his face and body even closer – the weight of him heady and delicious. How she wished she could fully understand these feelings, why her skin seemed to be made of lava, why she was sure she was going to melt or pass out…and why there was a deep ache within her that needed to be relieved by the man she loved.

Georg was gripping his self-control with all his might, but the earthy moans that were escaping his fiancée's throat were far too drugging to ignore, they threatened to be his undoing, willed him to continue giving her pleasure, and as much as they both craved it, he knew that they should stop. He was already feeling the effects of their actions – a stirring arousal in its earliest stages – and he knew that if he let them continue any longer it would become far too obvious. He was not ashamed of the way he felt, he never could be, but he was a protective man, and the blood rushing south was his final reminder to end things before they went past the point of no return – lest he frighten Maria.

So, he slowed their kiss and brought it to an end with a low grunt and gentle nip at her bottom lip. She tried to follow him when his lips and body were no longer meshed against her own, had tried to seek out the pleasure once more and bring them both to that state of painful glory – stalemated bliss – but he did not allow her to do so. She let out a minute whimper in frustration when she realised that he was not going to join their lips again, nor was her going to press her firmly against him, but he at least he kept his hands securely on her waist – hoping that the contact would provide her with some reassurance. Regardless, her blue eyes widened slightly, a pleading look that would be the death of him, for he had seen that look before, it was the look that silently asked what she had done wrong. It broke his heart every time her saw it.

"Shh, darling," he reassured as he nuzzled the tip of his nose against hers like he had done before, he knew it was an act that brought her great comfort, "you've done nothing wrong"

"Then why did you stop? …I - I didn't want you to stop" she admitted timidly – her voice growing quieter by the second.

He sighed silently, he hoped that he could explain himself without being too brazen. It was a strange situation for them, they had been passionate before, both eagerly exploring their desires for each other, but verbally, not much had been said; and none of their kisses had been as fiery as the one they'd just shared.

"I stopped because I'm scared of not being able to control myself"

She needed no further information, and whilst Georg had expected her to be shocked or even fearful, all he saw wash over her face was a confused sense of surprise.

"You were?" she questioned, her voice still barely carrying any weight.

"Yes," he breathed, "I love you so much, and I want so badly to be close to you…" he stumbled slightly, "…having you all to myself, all alone, it took me by surprise and I suddenly lost all sense of control, it's never happened to me before and I really wasn't sure if I'd be able to stop if things continued…and you deserve better"

"I'm sorry, I just never thought -"

"—No," he interrupted gently, "you don't need to apologise for anything. Nothing you did just then was wrong, and whatever you do to express the way you feel will _always_ be the rightthing to do…I just needed to get a hold of myself" he explained bashfully.

"I didn't think I could have that effect on you"

"Surely you don't still doubt yourself after all this time?"

"I'm afraid I do…at least some of the time"

"We have been in these situations before, have we not?" he probed, referencing the times in the past where they had both lost control and fallen victim to the intense, limitless passion that they held for the other.

"We have…but I guess it really hasn't been that long since we became engaged, I still have moments where I'm not fully accustomed to this new life I lead"

"I understand, sweetheart. But let me remind you that you are beautiful and absolutely entrancing in every possible way. No one has ever had me so spellbound, Maria…so you really shouldn't be surprised that you can cloud my judgement in such a way" he smirked.

But she didn't respond, and instead looked at him with anxious uncertainty.

"I mean it as a compliment, love. You are _enchanting_ "

"I do appreciate your reassurance, darling, but…" she trailed.

"But sometimes it's still hard to believe, no matter how many times I tell you?"

"Yes"

"Don't give it any thought, confidence will come with time, if you fret over it or try to force it, then you will only feel worse. Just take each day and each feeling as it comes and remember that I will always be here for you. To talk, to listen, to give you anything you need"

"Thank you" she said seriously.

"Think of all the things you believe in, truths both in past and present and the certainties you hold for the future. If you believe in all of that, then _I_ believe that you will one day believe in yourself" he said tenderly.

Maria wished that she could have found the appropriate words to respond, but his profundity had caused her throat to close and all she could do was gaze up at him hopefully – great thanks glazing her eyes – and lean up to peck him gently on the lips. After allowing the action, Georg pulled her into a tight embrace, knowing now that all he wanted to do was comfort her and remind her that she was truly the most beautiful woman he'd ever know. Beautiful in body and beautiful in spirit.

Maria felt so safe within his hold, as if nothing could ever harm her, and it caused a great warmth to grow in her heart before spreading out and pooling into every limb. She would never be able to eloquently explain what comfort it brought her, to be so close to him and to feel so secure against his body, but it was simply magical. She snuggled further against him – nuzzling into his chest – and tried to get as close as possible before she was instantly soothed of her woes, each muscle losing its tension as he gave her a gentle squeeze and a kiss to the top of her head. Finally, there was hope that she would one day believe his words.

They stayed there for some time, enjoying the relative silence around them and the innocent intimacy of their joined position, but eventually, Georg broke the silence…

"We should probably head back now, we don't want to miss breakfast"

Maria hummed sleepily as she pulled away form his embrace, feeling as though she had in fact been roused from a deep slumber, but she smiled lazily at him before agreeing to his suggestion with a contented:

"Okay"

They retrieved and put on their hats before untying the horses and once again mounting, their smiles never leaving their face as they did so. It had been a perfect morning, really, indulging in a shared favourite hobby, taking yet another step in exploring their physical closeness, and of course, strengthening the bond between their hearts in the way that they had been doing so for so long. Even before Georg had proposed, they had been connected in such an intricate manner, the connection of lovers.

It made them both feel so blissful, to know what it was like to love another and to also be loved in return, and upon realising that it was the most sensational feeling to exist, they felt themselves never wanting for anything other than for it to continue. To hope that their ties would never be severed, to live together in the same joyous harmony that had found them the moment their lips first touched in the gazebo, to hope that even during the harshest of times, the love that they had built would never be torn down.

The rode back down the way that they came, urging their mounts into a gentle trot and took in the scenery in relative silence, especially Maria – who having never been down the trail before today – was intrigued to see it as something more than a green blur. It really was so peaceful, a little slice of perfection, and she just knew that she would be spending a lot more time here…perhaps Georg would soon come to regret giving her a horse? For she was sure that the magnificent Hanoverian would become the main man in her life. Still, she tucked that humorous thought away to further allow herself to enjoy the sights around her…but it was not to last.

It all happened so quickly. All of a sudden, a loud crack sounded from just off the trail – a sound that was alarmingly close to them both – and having caught him off guard, Alrick suddenly snorted with fear and shot forward in agitated and clumsy paces, leapt into the air before throwing his hind legs up into an almighty buck. It had happened far too quick for Georg to witness it all, and much of his attention had been focused on keeping his mare steady, but none of that mattered when he realised that Maria had been completely thrown from the saddle and straight into the dirt below…

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hopefully you won't think me too cruel for ending this chapter in the way that I did...but what is life without a little suspense? Also, I hope you enjoyed their kiss at the beginning, I did promise some steaminess, so I hope it lived up to your expectations!**

 **So, I think there will probably only one more chapter for this story (two at the most, I'm sure) so I will try to get that up before I move to Japan, but I am incredibly busy (because I move in under a week) so, unfortunately, I cannot guarantee that the next chapter will be up on time. I will do my absolute best, but there may be a long(er) wait. :/**

 **And, the same also goes with "Better than a Dream", there are still a few more chapters to go, but I'm really not sure when I'm going to get the chance to write and update, I will take each day as it comes I suppose. But, as always, thank you all so much for being so supportive an so patience, I get really nervous about things like this, so you have no idea how much of a comfort it is.**

 **Anyway, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please leave a review because I would love to hear your thoughts! :)**

 **See you soon! xxx**


	7. Chapter 7

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hello, everyone. First, let me offer my most sincere apologies for how long this has taken, I know that updated this story fairly regularly at first, but I moved to Japan two months ago and my life has just been so hectic; for the longest time I've either been too busy or too tired to write and it's only now that I've picked it up again.**

 **I've felt terrible about not updating my stories, especially because all of you guys are so affectionate and patient with me. I hope you can forgive how long it has been since I last updated. I am still very busy (Japanese university is quite different to English ones) but I will do my absolute best to update as often as I can.**

 **As for this story, there will probably be one or two more chapters after this one, so I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Riding into the sunset**

 **Chapter Seven**

"Maria!" Georg cried out, but his view of his fiancée was snatched from him as his mare continued to spin and spook; he fought with her for a few more moments before finally steadying his shaken mount, "Are you -?"

But before he could finish his panicked sentence, he noticed that Maria had already hoped back to her feet and retrieved Alrick from where he'd bolted to, the fall had not shaken her one bit, in fact, it had been little more than a minor inconvenience to her; he found himself in awe of her yet again.

"I am sorry about that, Georg" she chirped, "Still, they're flight animals, so I suppose that these things cannot be helped"

"No, I suppose not"

But then she caught his gaze and noticed the way he was looking at her with such intensity – and his bottom lip hung open ever so slightly. She pondered this for a few seconds before letting out a singular chuckle.

"Why do you stare at me that way?"

"You have simply amazed me, Fraulein" he admitted.

"By getting myself thrown from a horse?"

"You were just thrown face first into the dirt and you barely gave it any thought"

"Well, that was just how I was taught to ride – you should never make a fuss unless your arm is about to fall off…" she laughed, "…why? You didn't expect me to shed tears over it, did you?"

"Oh, no. Not at all" he quickly corrected, "I just didn't expect you to be quite so indifferent about it"

"You've been spending too much time with the fussy upper-class riders, darling" she teased.

"Perhaps so"

"Believe me, I've shed my fair share of tears over falls and injuries, but the sport is far more enjoyable if you don't make a fuss. Besides, there's no fear of getting back on the next time if you get straight back in the saddle after a fall"

"Very wise words"

"I hope you share my wisdom, I won't marry a man who sulks after being thrown from his mount" she teased.

"You've nothing to fear, my dear" he laughed.

"Good"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm sure"

She took a few steps forward to prove her point but was cut short as a searing pain blossomed in her right ankle, causing her to yelp and her fiancée to panic ever so slightly.

"Maria?"

"Just a twisted ankle" she assured, "Nothing to worry about"

"I don't want you riding if you're injured"

"Oh, come now, Georg, it's not that far to the stables, and if we keep them in walk I won't have to use it at all"

"I don't like the sound of that" he admitted.

"Please, Georg, I know you're looking out for me, and I love you for it, but you really needn't worry about it"

Normally he would've pleaded his case, but when he looked down at her – her eyes shining with adoration for her most cherished past time – he knew that he couldn't take it away from her…nor would she allow him to if he continued to argue.

"Okay, but please let me know if the pain gets any worse, I don't want you getting seriously hurt" he said softly.

"I will. And thank you" she smiled warmly, her eyes glittering with unbridled love for him.

Maria promptly dusted herself off and gathered her reins – all with the intent of re-mounting – but before she could perform the manoeuvre, she noticed the way Alrick was standing, weight to one side and his front left hoof raised.

"Umm, Georg, we may have a problem" she informed.

"What kind of problem? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. But I'm afraid that Alrick has thrown a shoe"

Georg sighed.

"Poor devil. And I only had the farrier out last week"

"Well, looks like he'll be back for another visit fairly soon. I do apologise"

"It's not your fault, sweetheart," he assured, "I don't know what spooked them, did you see it?"

"I'm afraid not. Just an animal, I'm sure. There must be plenty of wildlife out here"

"Plenty indeed" he murmured.

"Well, I suppose that marks the end of our ride. We had best be heading back" Maria announced – her governess tone coming back to her without her even realising.

"You're not planning on riding him, are you?"

"Goodness no, I was just going to walk him back"

" _Walk_? I don't want you walking all the way back when you've injured yourself" he told her, rather shocked that she would even suggest the notion.

"I'm sure I'll be fine" Maria tried to reason, though she would never admit that her ankle was beginning to throb, and much to her dismay, she suspected that if she were to put any weight on it she would find herself in agony. Still, she was determined to stand her ground and remain strong in this…her stubbornness was – in her mind – one of her best and worst faults.

"Maria…" Georg began gently, "I know that you don't like to be fussed over or treated like you're more fragile than you really are – I know better than anyone just how strong you can be – but there is a difference between pampering and concern. Right now, I'm _concerned_. I feel terrible that you've hurt yourself and the very last thing I want is for you to do some real damage; especially when it can so easily be avoided"

Maria gave a small sigh of defeat before smiling gently at her fiancée, he was right, and when she looked up at him – nothing but pure love and fidelity sparkling in his eyes – she knew that to stand her ground would only hurt them both. She felt a little foolish for trying to argue it in the first place, but then again, she supposed that she was forced into being independent as a child, whenever one of her uncle's horses had thrown her off, she always had to get back on and finish the ride, regardless of how injured she was. She simply supposed that that steely determination was still very much alive within her mentality; but now, she was free to let it go. Now she had someone who truly loved her, would always look out for her and would only ever want the best for her.

"You're right" she told him.

"My, my, do you think I could get that in writing?" he teased.

"Don't push your luck" she teased back, both of them exchanging smirks at their shared humour, "so, how do you propose we get back?" she asked cheerfully, moving all of her weight onto her uninjured ankle and running her fingers through Alrick's forelock.

Georg shifted in the saddle as he pondered their options, he could quite easily let Maria ride his mare whilst he led both horses back to the stables…but then he smirked, where would be the fun in something so positively normal?

"Well, you can ride Britta…with me" he added cheekily.

Part of him had expected Maria to look shocked, and perhaps shy at his suggestion, after all, they had only been engaged for a few weeks, but the reaction he got was quite the opposite. Perhaps it had been their steamy encounter earlier on, or perhaps he had just underestimated his bride-to-be, but instead of blushing or shying away, he watched as Maria's eyes darkened with mischief and an absolutely delectable smirk dribbled across her cheeks.

"How forward of you, Captain"

"You know I've always been a secretive lover of mischief; don't tell me you've lost your lust for adventure?"

"Oh, not at all, sir" she giggled.

"Do you need a hand to mount?"

"I think I can manage"

With a slight nod, Georg slipped his feet out of the stirrups and shifted himself behind the saddle so that he sat on his mare's back; he gave Maria another playful smile before he patted the saddle and invited her to take her place upon it. She shook her head and laughed slightly as she hobbled towards him – Alrick trailing groggily behind her – and each step sent a new bolt of pain to her ankle, but apart from the odd hiss, she made no fuss. She didn't want Georg to feel bad or responsible for her injury; after all, it had happened quite by accident.

Mounting proved more difficult than she had anticipated, she handed Alrick's reins to Georg, but soon realised that it was quite impossible to mount a horse without putting a significant amount of weight on both feet, still, she rushed through it as best she could and with another whimper and a slight struggle, she swung herself onto Britta's back and into the saddle. She let her legs dangle heavily – as Georg's stirrups were far too long for her – but momentarily marvelled in the novelty of the situation, as Hede had interrogated Georg she had laughed at her silly fantasies of Georg whisking her away on a grey steed, and now, the whole thing was quite the reality…even if she did have a wounded ankle, a horse with only three shoes and no permission to be properly alone with her fiancée.

"This is all rather amusing, isn't it?" she chirped as turned her head over her shoulder to face him as best as she could.

"Maybe so…but I like to think of it as romantic" he murmured, his hot breath tickling her cheeks delightfully.

"Does the rest of Salzburg know that Captain von Trapp has such an affectionate way of looking at the world?"

"No, and that's a secret that you'll have to keep, Fraulein"

"Gladly" she breathed before allowing him to kiss her tenderly, the kind of kiss that – should it last any longer – would cause her to melt completely; but luckily for her, Georg pulled away after a few long seconds.

"Sit back and enjoy the ride, my dear" he chuckled before moving his arms around her and taking the reins; and then, with a gentle nudge of his heels, he urged his mare into a steady walk and they began to make their way back to the stables.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES: I hope that was worth the wait and that I didn't disappoint you in anyway.**

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you thought. And, as I said, I will do my absolute best to get the next chapter up soon! :)**

* * *

 **This story is dedicated to the time i had to ride a horse with soft tissue damage around my hip because our rule was, unless your head has fallen off, you're getting back on the horse! :'D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's notes: You must all be sick of hearing this, but I am so, so sorry for how late this is. I really wanted to update sooner, but I have been extremely busy with university work, and I was actually incredibly sick not too long ago. Moreover, any writing time I have had in the past was taken up with Better than a Dream, and after that I didn't have much inspiration.**

 **Anyway, I'm back and this is the final chapter! I really hope it's worth the wait!**

* * *

 **Riding in the Sunset**

 **Chapter Eight**

"What's so funny?" Georg asked in a chuckle as Maria giggled once again.

"I just keep picturing how wonderfully ridiculous this all is" she laughed.

"Ridiculous? That a chivalrous man should come to the aid of his injured fiancée and her lame horse?" he smirked.

"Not that exactly – more that this is exactly like some fairy tale cliché – the sort of things that I read to Marta and Gretl each night"

"And may I ask just what kind of drivel you're reading to our daughters every night?" he joked.

For just a second, Maria was silent as she reflected on how he'd said _'our daughters'_ – it was not the first time he'd done it, and it was far from false, but sometimes she couldn't help but shudder with adoration at all that she was soon to gain. A marriage to the love of her life, and seven children that she had loved as her own from day one.

"Nothing you need to be concerned about, a fairytale is a fairytale, after all; princess who are saved by a fearless knight and they ride away into the sunset on the back of his noble steed"

"Tell me, fraulein, are these stories for Marta and Gretl's pleasure, or for your own?"

She could _feel_ his smirk.

"Only for the children, I can assure you"

"Is that so?"

"It is. I already found my knight in shining armour" she said cheekily.

"I'm too sombre to be a knight" Georg mused.

"A roguish sea captain, then" she offered.

"It _is_ far more becoming for a sea captain to brood…but according to you, I look nothing like a captain"

"You didn't back then, now I can't imagine them any other way" she offered lightly – a slight lilt of humour lacing her tone.

"And just what did you expect a sea captain to look like?"

"Much older, silvery hair with a thick beard to match – the sort of man who only wears his naval uniform, always has a pipe in his mouth and can do nothing but tell tale of his victories at sea – but I much prefer the sea captain I got" she smirked – her cheeks ever so slightly tinged.

Georg chuckled deeply in response before loosening the reigns slightly to let his mare walk with less strain. He looked over at Alrick and was pleased to see that – although he was limping slightly from the loss of his shoe – he was keeping up nicely. He made a mental note to make sure the stable hands contacted the farrier right away upon their return. He didn't want one of his best horses – now Maria's horse – stuck in his stable for days on end without any real exercise. Besides, once her foot had healed, he wanted his fiancée to be able to have as much freedom with Alrick as she desired.

It was then that the woman in question leaned back ever so slightly so that her head was now resting on his shoulder; he smiled tenderly to himself at the gesture and wished that her riding hat wasn't preventing him from placing a kiss in her hair.

"Thank you for today, Georg -" she said gently, "- it's been truly wonderful"

"You really don't need to thank me, darling" he replied lovingly.

"You say that to me so often, do you really think I'm not going to thank you for everything that you've done for me today?"

"It's nothing that a good fiancée wouldn't do" he remarked.

"Sometimes your modesty is rather infuriating" she giggled, "I highly doubt there are many men in Salzburg – or the world for that matter – that would not only get up at the crack of dawn to take their fiancée riding, but to also gift her one of his horses"

"One of his best horses" he interjected with a cheeky smirk.

"Exactly!"

"Okay, so perhaps not every man would act in the same way that I have, but I don't want you to feel like you're indebted to me in any way"

"I wouldn't say that I necessarily feel indebted, but you've got to at least let me _thank_ you, regardless of any burning need I may have to do so, it's nothing if not polite…though I do want to at least _try_ and repay you somehow" the last part was added somewhat mindlessly, as though it was little more than an obvious statement. But whilst it may have been purely objective to Maria, it sparked something far more mischievous in Georg.

"Hmmm," he hummed into her ear, making sure that his breath trickled down the side of her neck, "you say you want to repay me?"

He felt her tense as the beginning of her longing unfurled in her stomach like unruly flames; she let out a long exhale to steady herself – all the while secretly hoping that Georg would continue with his teasing ministrations. Oh, the things that he could do to her…

"Perhaps" she breathed in response – completely unable to hide the fact that his actions had had an incredibly fast and overwhelming effect on her.

"Well, I think I know a good place to start" he murmured with purpose.

A few short seconds passed before Georg turned Maria's head so that she faced him, then he leant forward in such a way that allowed him to kiss her in spite of their riding hats. And, oh, what a kiss it was! He kissed her in such a way that almost made her go limp, that had her both soaring and falling all at once; he kissed her in such a way that made everything – the horses, the woodland, her injury – disappear until the world was white at the edges and there was nothing but the two of them. She responded to his kiss instantly, pushing her lips against his own and heightening the contact, letting him know that she was not about to shy away. Slowly, Georg began to move his lips over hers, gently massaging them to the rising rhythm of their heartbeats, drawing them into that warm, delectable place that only they shared.

Maria wished she could wrap her arms around his neck and melt her body into his, she longed to press them together until they were joined at every point, and together they could guide each other back into the growing flames. But it was at this precise moment – just seconds before Georg was about to deepen their kiss even more – that his mare lost her footing ever so slightly. And although it was absolutely nothing to be concerned over, it _did_ cause her to trip just a little bit, jolting Maria and Georg and effectively ending their kiss. It had been a slight shock at first, but once they realised what had happened – and the hilarity of it – they soon began to both laugh heartily.

"Well, I suppose that's a sign that we should maybe stop" Maria chuckled.

"Yes…but we can always continue this later" Georg purred, "We're nearly back anyways"

As Maria surveyed their surroundings with a little more concentration, she realised that he was right, she recognised the almost tree-less path that led them away from the woodland and back towards the open space of the stable yard. She was ever so slightly dismayed that her first ride in years had come to an end – and with a slight injury, no less – but she was overjoyed and ever so grateful for the fact that Georg had given her such a wonderful gift. Besides, much as she would've liked to have stayed out longer, she really needed to rest her ankle.

The situation of them sharing a horse caused them to receive a few surprised looks from the stable hands as Georg rode his mare into the stable yard, but the most humorous of all was the look they received from Georg' s sister. They had no idea why Hede had come to the stables, but the pair of them had to bite back smirks as they saw her wide-eyed and gawping expression. But as they stopped the horses in front of her, the smallest of smirks caused her lips to curve upwards.

"Georg, you promised me this morning that you'd both stay on _separate_ horses" she teased.

Georg allowed himself to chuckle, especially as Maria blushed at Hede's words.

"Well, we had a slight mishap on our way back. Alrick threw a shoe and Maria hurt her foot"

"Did you fall off Maria?" Hede asked, concerned.

"I did. But it's honestly nothing to worry about – I had far worse when I was younger"

Georg slid from his horse's back and to the ground with a gentle thump before aiding Maria in doing the same.

"How's your ankle?"

"Not too bad. It'll be fine after a bit of rest"

"Good" he smiled lovingly – wishing he could stroke her cheek in comfort.

"You're a trooper, Maria" Hede chirped.

"Well, Georg's chivalry certainly helped" she chuckled – with only the slightest bit of embarrassment.

"I'm sure it did" she replied, her eyes slightly narrowed, "but you'll be pleased to hear that I'm here to escort you both back; so, no more fairytales"

"Delightful" Georg sarked.

"Now, now, Georg, don't get tetchy" she teased.

"You'll be the death of me, Hede"

"I know, and I delight in it" she beamed humorously.

Georg looked to Maria for aid but knowing that she could not quell the endless battle of siblings, she merely gifted him a look of helpless sympathy. And so, as the horses were led back into their stables, the couple's first ride together was concluded, and their comical lives as an engaged couple in battle with their chaperones continued.

At least until their next ride.

* * *

 **Author's notes:** **I really hope you all enjoyed that - again, sorry it took so long. I also really hope you enjoyed this new style of writing a story with short chapters rather than the longer ones I tend to do; originally this was going to be a very long one-shot, but I decided to try something different. I hope I made the right choice.**

 **And now we come to the issue of my future projects. My time in Japan is rapidly coming to an end, meaning I have a lot more work and it's only a few weeks until my final exams. Because of this, it is unlikely that I will be updating any of my stories until the end of July or the beginning of August - I cannot say for certain. I am very sorry about this, but I know that you guys understand.  
If I do get the time and inspiration, then I will most likely update one of my unfinished stories, but I don't think it will happen.**

 **However, I do have a few ideas for Mary Poppins one-shots and long multi-chapter Sound of Music stories that I will probably plan during any free time I get - since planning usually takes less time; so, I hope you can take some joy in the fact that new, more in-depth stories will be here within the coming months.**

 **Anyway, as always, I have talk for far too long. So, once again, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'd love to hear your thoughts!**

 **See you soon!**


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